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American Made Matters is proud to announce a great American event, sponsored by our member, Tough Traveler and the City of Schenectady, NY. The City, in conjunction with area stakeholders, will be hosting an important community event which includes the local debut of the “American Made Movie” followed by a panel discussion with influential state-wide and local economic development stakeholders. The panel discussion will be moderated by Jack Aernecke and will offer an opportunity for attendees to propose questions related to the state of manufacturing in Schenectady and beyond.

American manufacturing employment has been on the decline for decades, unleashing a devastating effect on our local and national economies. Fortunately, people are making a difference by doing their part at a local level – supporting small businesses, buying from local craftsman instead of the big box stores, and purchasing Made in USA when possible. Americans can be inspired by individual and corporate efforts highlighted in the new critically acclaimed documentary, “American Made Movie.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Schenectady based YouthBuild program by providing a onetime scholarship for a program participant that plans on attending and enrolling in a Manufacturing Technology program at Schenectady County Community College.

Interested in hosting a movie screening in your home town? Help us spread the word about the importance of American manufacturing and get involved in the movement. Contact Rachel Highley, AMM Marketing Director – rhighley@bollmanhats.com.

American Made Matters will be hosting its second annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway beginning December 12 and ending December 23. Don’t miss out on your chance to win prizes from great Made in USA brands!

To kick-off the holiday shopping season, American Made Matters has declared November 19, 2013 the first annual American Made Matters Day. On this day, American Made Matters is encouraging consumers to buy at least one American-made product to show their support for American manufacturing.

We know that finding American made products can be difficult, but American Made Matters is making it easier. Check out the great sales and promotions our members are offering on November 19 and beyond, and join us in celebrating our first annual American Made Matters Day!

Bear Paw Creek – Use promo code AMMNOV19 for 15% off your entire order on Nov. 19. www.bearpawcreek.com/K’NEX - In honor of American Made Matters’ Day – ONE DAY SALE, Buy 1, get a second 1 FREE! Available on select K’NEX products. K’NEX bricks, rods and connectors are made in the U.S.A. Quantities limited while supplies last. See “1-Day Sale” on www.knex.com/Shop to find products! Happy shopping!

APPAREL & ACCESSORIES

City Charm – Use coupon code AMM1113 at checkout to receive 10% off your total order Nov. 19 thru Nov. 30. http://citycharmco.com/Hats.com – 25% off at www.hats.com. Use coupon code AMMDAY at checkout to receive 25% off all made in USA hats and accessories on Nov. 19!Andrew David – Use coupon code AMM at checkout to receive 50% off your order on Nov. 19. Excludes other promotions and gift certificates. www.shopandrewdavid.comNoNetz – Use coupon code WE-LIKE-YOU at checkout to receive free shipping on Nov. 19. http://www.nonetz.com/Dapper Classics – Use coupon code USA to receive 25% off your purchase on AMM Day, Nov. 19. http://www.dapperclassics.com/J.W. Hulme Co. – Use coupon code COLNOV13 on Nov. 19 to receive $50 off a purchase of $400 or more at www.jwhulmeco.com or 1-800-442-8212. Offer good on orders placed by Nov. 30,2013. Not valid on previous purchases, exchanges, or returns. One-time use. One per customer. Can not be combined with other offers.Head ‘n Home Handmade Hats – Receive 40% off all hats from all brands at http://www.headnhome.com/.Ball and Buck – Use coupon code AMMDAY15 at checkout to receive 15% off all online orders placed on Nov. 19. Plus receive FREE shipping! Visit http://ballandbuck.comBullet Blues – Use coupon code BB20 at checkout to receive 20% off any item on the site. 19. http://www.bulletbluesca.com/ Maven Fly – Use coupon code AMM20 at checkout to receive 20% off all sales on Nov. 19. http://www.mavenfly.comJack and Mary Designs – Use coupon code AMMDAY2013 at checkout to receive 15% off and free shipping. http://www.jackandmarydesigns.com/Ribbed Tee – Use coupon code 24for48 and receive 24% off for 48 hours! Valid 11/19-11/20. Not valid on Classic Fit line or Clearance/Sale items. Shipping not included. http://ribbedtee.com/Tres-Femmes – Use coupon code AMM1119 at checkout and receive 15% off any online purchase on Nov. 19. www.tre-femmes.comLoggerhead Apparel – Use coupon code AMM25 at checkout to receive 25% off all purchases made on Nov. 19! www.loggerheadapparel.comTodd Shelton USA – Use coupon code AMM at checkout and receive 25% off your order on Nov. 19! http://toddshelton.com/Sounder Goods – Use coupon code AMM at checkout on Nov. 19 to receive 25% off your total purchase. www.soundergoods.comBlack and Denim- Black and Denim- Use coupon code AMMBND at checkout to receive 20% off all orders placed on Nov. 19. Visit http://black-denim-apparel-company.myshopify.com/Bodacious Cases- Bodacious Cases- Use coupon code AMMDay at checkout to receive 25% off all orders! Visit http://bodaciouscases.com/ Twisted Cow – Use coupon code AMM at checkout and receive 15% off your total order on Nov. 19. http://www.twisted-cow.com

MISCELLANEOUS

Made in America Expo – You still have time to reserve a booth at the Fort Worth, TX Made in American Expo taking place in May, 2014. Receive 19% off of all Expo services when you reserve your spot on Nov. 19! Click here for more information: http://madeintheusaexpo.com/american-made-matters-special-promotionWhite Starfish – Use coupon code BUYUSA at checkout and save 15% off your entire order on Nov. 19! www.thewhitestarfish.comIndependence LED – Use coupon code AmericanMadeMatters at checkout to replace 400 Watt Metal Halide High Bays with 116 Watt or 174 Watt LED Fixtures at dramatically discounted wholesale prices. 20% Discounted cost starts at $295, and the annual savings is often over $200 per fixture per year. Plus REBATES are available to bring the payback to under 1 Year. www.IndependenceLED.comCPA – Use coupon code USAProspers for 20% off all orders placed Nov. 18- Nov. 20. https://www.cpabuyamerican.com/Christmas Forest – On Nov. 19 the Stars & Stripes holiday wreath will be on sale for $36 including free ground shipping to 48 states. http://www.christmasforest.com/christmas-wreaths/stars-and-stripesMetal Shop CT – On Nov. 19 all Metal Shop Bottle Opener Products will be 5% to $10 off and engraving will be free for our Brass Cigar Stand. No coupon code necessary. http://metalshopct.com/Footmate Systems – In support of American Made Matters Day, Gordon Brush will offer 19% off of the sale of all Footmate® System products purchased on November 19, 2013, from the Footmate website, www.footmate.com, with a minimum order of $39.95. Use promo code NOV19.Tough Traveler – On AMM Day receive a FREE Tough Traveler Pencil Pouch with any purchase, online or in store! Visit http://www.toughtraveler.com/Polar Bottle – On AMM Day all American themed Polar Bottles will be half off! Use promo code AMM13. Limit four per order. Visit http://www.polarbottle.com/High Sierra Showerheads – Use coupon code NIRVANA to receive 12.5% off the purchase price for an online order of one or two high efficiency shower heads or high efficiency handheld showers from our website (handheld not available with hose and holder). www.highsierrashowerheads.comNoCargo – Receive free shipping on orders over $100 – no coupon code needed! http://www.shopnocargo.com/OHSAY USA – Use coupon code AMMDAY and receive FREE SHIPPING on Nov. 19. http://www.ohsayusa.comCarlisle Machine Works – 20% off classes at the School of Glass Art. http://carlislemachine.com/

Jon Fontane, owner of Metal Shop CT, an AMM member company, has a mission this Veteran’s Day. That mission is simple, that none of our soldiers past or present feels forgotten. All too often, veterans with PTSD or other life altering injuries feel like they’re alone in their battles and statistics show that 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Jon Fontane and American Made Matters want to bring that number to zero.

Organizations like Wounded Warrior Project, The 296 Project and Warrior Canine Connection are making sure that none of our soldiers feels forgotten or alone in their struggles. Their mission is to foster a successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members who can regain control of their lives and become contributing members of society.

Warrior Canine Connection is a unique charity that uses puppies to rehabilitate soldiers with PTSD. “Training a service dog for a fellow Veteran provides a valuable opportunity for a Warrior suffering from psychological injuries to reintegrate into civilian life. As part of his or her training, Warriors have the responsibility to teach the dogs that the world is a safe place. Through that process, they must convince themselves of the same.”

You can help us support our wounded warriors and all of America’s fighting men and woman today and throughout the year by shopping some great made in USA brands that donate a portion of their sales to veteran’s charities. Check out the list below to support the organization of your choice!

ADAMSTOWN, P.A. – American Made Matters®, an organization dedicated to educating consumers on the importance of buying American-made products, reached the 200-member mark this past week. The latest members—including Dickies 1922, Rethink Robotics and Jensen Apparel—join a group of manufacturing companies committed to making goods in the United States (U.S.) Member companies are located across the U.S. and manufacture everything from apparel and home goods to toys and machinery.

“We have doubled our membership in the past year,” said Don Rongione, president and founder of American Made Matters®. “This is a testament to the strength of the American-made movement, and we are excited to be at the forefront.” Companies can become members of American Made Matters® by paying just $99 a year, which gives them permission to use the American Made Matters® logo on products for which at least 50 percent of the product’s cost (labor, materials and overhead) is incurred in the U.S., and the final assembly takes place in the U.S.

American Made Matters® provides social media attention for its members and brand exposure at various trade shows. This past weekend, American Made Matters® was a sponsor and attendee of the American Field Pop-Up Market in Boston, an annual event featuring American craftsman and fashion brands like Ball and Buck, the trade show’s founding company and American Made Matters® member. “It is our goal for American Made Matters® to become a center for consumers trying to find American-made goods,” said Rongione. “By promoting our member companies, we are making it easier for consumers to buy American.”

American Made Matters® has recently declared November 19th as American Made Matters Day. On this day, American Made Matters® is encouraging consumers to buy at least one American-made product to show their support for American manufacturing. Additionally, the event will kick-off a movement encouraging Americans to buy products made in America throughout the holiday shopping season.

About American Made Matters®: American Made Matters® was launched on July 4, 2009 by the Bollman Hat Company, America’s oldest hat manufacturer. It is the only organization committed to promoting American-made goods that is run by manufacturers. It has 200 member companies in a variety of industries. For more information, visit http://www.americanmadematters.com/index.php, or like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMadeMatters.

Number of US based employees:
10+ AND our partners at EPI Printers, Inc (where Yamie Chess is domestically manufactured in Michigan) who employ over 400 people + in Michigan and Indiana. Yamie Chess works with a U.S. chess champion and math /science advisors who come from the following universities: Princeton, MIT, Stanford, University of California Berkeley, Vanderbilt, University of Louisville, University of Arizona and Caltech.

Years in Business:
(Incorporated in Nevada in November 2012.) We are officially launching for K-8 math education simultaneously at the American International Toy Fair in New York City on 16th February 2014 and the NSSEA Ed EXPO in Dallas, TX in March 2014.

Family-Owned/Employee-Owned/Publicly Held:
Employee-Owned

Principal line of business:
K-8 educational math learning aids and educational animation for STEM learning. Yamie Chess Ltd’s goal is to get K-8 students across America equipped for math learning through classic chess, so that by age 13, most elementary and middle schoolers will have a realistic prospect of a math related career at college, i.e. math, physics, chemistry, computer science or engineering.

Why does American Made Matter to you? Yamie Chess Ltd is an American business; and as corporate citizens we feel a strong responsibility and commitment to the community. The democracy and freedom of our way of life as Americans depends in a very real way on a thriving economy and investment in our country’s resources and the next generation of companies following our lead to invest in America on every level. Keeping jobs at home, domestic manufacturing and the passion and hard work of the people who make up the backbone of our country – the unsung heroes who go to work every day and build America from the grassroots – this is what makes America great – their participation in our society of which we all share the benefits is what makes our way of life possible. It is a no brainer that Yamie Chess MUST be manufactured in America – we love America too much and although it has been challenging, we have found a way to profitably manufacture domestically by partnering with EPI Printers Inc, an ISO 9001:2008 manufacturer in Michigan who has been in business since 1959: http://www.epiinc.com/about-epi.aspx

What values drive your business decisions?Education, innovation and the exciting possibility of getting a generation of kids across America into math, and taking up math careers. Yamie Chess is an investment in education. If Yamie Chess can succeed on our educational mission over the next 10 years and make the class of 2025 the most employable students to ever graduate the American public school system, we stand the chance of raising U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $1 trillion dollars in income per year, evidenced by figures released in Harvard University’s Kennedy School report of August 2011, “Globally Challenged: Are U. S. Students Ready to Compete?

Has your company won any awards recently?
Yes, Yamie Chess Ltd’s first debut animation, King Tigermore In Strawberry Fields, which is shown on our pre-launch website (https://www.yamiechess.com), designed purely to introduce our cartoon chess characters to children, has won the Canada International Film Festival’s Royal Reel Award in Animation, won the Honolulu Film Award’s Aloha Accolade in animation and won official selection to over 50+ major US film festivals including the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, Coca-Cola’s Beverly Hills Film Festival, Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Gasparilla Film Festival in Tampa, and the 22nd Arizona International Film Festival which is a grant recipient of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars!) and sponsored by the University of Arizona and NBC Comcast. Yamie Chess was one of only 4 children’s productions to win selection to the Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City (Fear No Film Kids Age 3 and Up) sponsored by Wells Fargo, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Chrysler and Verizon. The full list of the international and national awards (including judges’ panel statements) will be published on the Yamie Chess website at https://www.yamiechess.com/animation in the next 2 months when our official website launches.

What advice would you give to a start-up business that plans to manufacture/source/etc. in the USA?
We don’t like giving advice because we don’t want to be seen as telling anyone what to do (especially as we haven’t launched yet!) however, a suggestion we’ve found agreement on with other start-ups looking to move forward with U.S. manufacturing is to do tons of research like Yamie Chess has done and be broad thinking in looking for an established and reputable American manufacturing partner to team up with, even if you have to look to other states, and even if what you’re looking to produce isn’t your intended partner’s core business.

For example, Yamie Chess is in Nevada, and we found EPI Printers (who are based in Michigan and Indiana) because they handle the entire offset printing workload of the University of Michigan’s academic faculty (they didn’t make educational math products before!) – so we reached out to our midwest colleagues, and they liked what we were doing, and together we agreed to partner to produce Yamie Chess’s range of math learning aids that will launch in six months time at New York Toy Fair 2014. With EPI Printers Inc’s help, Yamie Chess will supplement math and science education across America through classic chess, being useful for not just for classroom work in school, but also America’s homeschooling community.

How are you using the AMM logo on products, website or marketing materials? Used on the official website, first math learning aid product, press releases, marketing materials at Toy Fair, National Education Association in Denver, National Science Teachers Association in Boston, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in New Orleans, San Diego Comic Con, Ed Expo in Dallas, American Specialty Toy Retailing Association in Phoenix, Arizona, National Association for the Education of Young Children in Atlanta.

What are the benefits for your company of manufacturing in the USA?When we compare the ease of doing business in America and the technical excellence of U.S. craftsmanship with product engineering against the HUGE costs of importing, international shipping and the serious risks, dangers and legal complexities of dealing with Far Eastern countries like China and Taiwan (particularly in the educational toy industry where child safety is a massive concern), before we even get round to the patriotic aspects which are substantial, it makes no economic sense for a new U.S. small business like Yamie Chess Ltd to be dealing with outside the USA from a manufacturing standpoint.

How do you balance US and foreign manufacturing for your company?

98% of materials for Yamie Chess are sourced from heartland America, with our ISO-9001:2008 certified American manufacturing partner, EPI Printers Inc. Yamie Chess is physically manufactured in Battle Creek, Michigan, in an FSC® Chain-of-custody (CoC) certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (EPI is under the organizational brand “EPI Marketing Services” (FSC License Code: FSC-C022187), and EPI operates a number of ecologically friendly practices.

All Yamie Chess®’s chipboard is made from at least 40% recycled material, so Yamie Chess®’s educational chessboard, box and packaging is green and from sourced entirely on American soil!

The Yamie Chess® K-8 math comic only uses officially FSC® certified paper and print production from American forests.

All scrap paper created during Yamie Chess®’s manufacturing is recycled inside America.

All scrap plastic created during Yamie Chess®’s manufacturing is recycled inside America.

Yamie Chess® uses vegetable-based American inks.

Our American manufacturing partner, EPI Printer Inc’s FSC® Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certificate is based on the company being able to account for and track all wood fibers that are used in the different production stages of the Yamie Chess® manufacturing process from the forest to the mill, to the paper and finally to the finished Yamie Chess® sets made in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Do you have any future expansion plans?
Yes, as well as bringing out the rest in the K-8 math series of physical learning aids that are Made in America for supplementary math and STEM education; Yamie Chess will also be doing an animation series for K-8 math education, as well as doing video math games and mobile apps based on our classic chess characters (who all correspond to the classic chessmen on the board) – Yamie Chess’s education work aims to raise standards and improve learning outcomes for math education in the classroom, supporting STEM learning with math hinged on a classic chess framework. Yamie Chess will also be launching an after-school club program for supplementary math education that will run in U.S. elementary and middle schools.

Patriotism is tantamount at Gordon Brush Mfg. Co. Inc., a 62 year old manufacturer of over 15,000 American made brooms and brushes for industrial and commercial applications. Gordon Brush has made brushes for the United States Army to clean the main gun on the Abram’s tanks, saving the Department of Defense over $1.5 billion. The company has also made brushes that were used on the space shuttle, the lunar module, and brushes to clean the guidance system and guns on the Apache helicopter.

In recent years, however, Gordon Brush has been heavily impacted by the competition from foreign markets. Gordon’s Milwaukee Dustless brush line of janitorial cleaning tools and its health and wellness product, the FootMate® System, face the most intense pressure from lower priced foreign made products, in many distribution channels. Many end users are willing to sacrifice cost over quality, even though in the long run it ends up costing them more because they have to replace sub-standard product more frequently. Moreover, these lower quality products do not do the job for which they were intended, thus leaving a substandard work-product.

Even under these competitive threats, “the company has been steadfast in its philosophy and commitment to manufacturing in the United States,” said Ken Rakusin, president and CEO. “Manufacturing in California and Wisconsin is still a viable model, even if it brings with it some tough challenges. Gordon Brush prides itself on its American heritage dating back to 1897, when the first dustless brush was invented in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by the Milwaukee Dustless Brush Company, which was acquired in 2005,” further added Rakusin.

“Companies that have nothing to differentiate themselves on besides prices are the most vulnerable to the threat of lower priced foreign made products; that’s a no-win game. Gordon Brush chooses to compete on value-added,” said Rakusin. Offering premier products with superior customer service have enabled the company to grow and prosper in spite of the Chinese threat. “The Milwaukee Dustless motto: Innovative Products that Clean Better and Last Longer is a testament to this philosophy,” said Rakusin.

In addition to the Gordon and Milwaukee Dustless line of brushes, the company’s recently introduced the FootMate® System. The Podiatrist recommended FootMate® System makes optimal foot health easy. It is a complete foot care system for cleaning, soothing, stimulating, and massaging your feet every time you shower. The FootMate® System stands head-and-shoulders (or perhaps foot-and-heels) above competitors. The FootMate® brush has over 11,000 bristles and weighs over three pounds compared to the 1,000 bristle, few ounces weighing foreign competitor. “The FootMate System is a high quality American made product that will last and not crumble,” exclaimed Rakusin.

Gordon Brush never considered off-shore manufacturing to become more price competitive. Our American made products give us the ability to display our patriotism and pride and to create feelings of goodwill when our customers receive American-made items.

When considering off-shore manufacturing, the allure of international low-cost labor has to be balanced with loss of control, local customs challenges and costs. “Product reliability, and safety and compliance measures, less inventory/stock issues, and difficulties bringing a distinct company culture across the world, were all contributing factors against going off-shore,” according to Rakusin. In addition, the cost of shipping and the ability to offer same day shipping on most standard brushes was a major factor in keeping business here in the United States,” said Rakusin.

“In spite of all of these issues, I was determined to build and grow my business in the United States by re-investing profits into the purchase of millions of dollars in manufacturing equipment and machinery; pride in contributing to the American economy is near-and-dear to my heart,” further proclaimed Rakusin. “Moreover and perhaps most importantly,” added Rakusin, “are my valued, long-tenured, skilled employees. I have well over 100 employees, plus their families, for who I am responsible. I tell them that Gordon Brush is a great place to work and we are committed to enhancing their lives. Brush-making is an art; I would not have a business without these skilled artisans. I would be a hypocrite if I ignored that commitment for the purpose of improving my bottom line.”

It’s because of companies like Gordon Brush, American manufacturing is alive and some predict it might even be making a “comeback.” As a proud member of American Made Matters, Gordon Brush is spreading the word about the importance of American manufacturing, one foot at a time!

- Article courtesy of Alan M. Schechter

Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified and leading manufacturer of specialty, custom and standard brushes for industrial and consumer purposes. The company makes the FootMate System as well as over 15,000 other medical, industrial, janitorial, and electronic brushes at its 51,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Commerce, California It stocks over 2,000 different brushes for same day shipment selling to a variety of industries including medical, electronics, manufacturing, military, aerospace, and pharmaceutical. Gordon Brush has been featured on the ION Network, Discovery Channel, Bloomberg News, and in the Los Angeles Times.

In 1995 Patrick Kennedy Sr. founded K-Kleen Inc., a service company, which specializes in cleaning kitchen exhaust systems. K-Kleen now provides service to over seven hundred customers in 5 different states. Some of their notable customers include: RiderUniversity, WestminsterCollege, Burger King, McDonald’s, Sonic, Wendy’s, Turkey Hill, TGI Fridays, Red Robin and Red Lobster.

As a proud sponsor of American Made Matters, K-Kleen only purchases from local suppliers, and uses 100% made in USA products on job sites. In an industry where cheaper, foreign products can used to lower overhead cost, K-Kleen continues to buy American for the higher quality and to support local businesses. Patrick Kennedy Jr., Executive Director of Marketing at K-Kleen, said “Sometimes we are forced to increase prices of our service in order to compensate for the higher price we pay for American made.” Competitors that go with foreign products because they are cheaper simply cannot match the quality that K-Kleen offers to their loyal customer base.

New Website and Expansion

K-Kleen has just launched a brand new website. An energized Patrick Kennedy Jr. proclaimed, “There will be Optimized Personal Accounts in which customers can log in and view before and after pictures of the work we most recently did in their facility, as well as, check outstanding balances owed and schedule another service.” The ability to perform these tasks online brings a whole new level of convenience and customer satisfaction.

In addition to providing a kitchen exhaust cleaning service, the experts at K-Kleen produce some of their own chemicals they use on the job. Consumers will soon be able to purchase all of the following items through their new site: Kitchen Exhaust Grease Filters, SureGrip Floor Safety Solutions, Grease Gutter Grease Containment Systems, Commercial Bathroom Supplies, and K-Kleen’s own degreaser: Kem4. Each item has its own page on the site with a video featuring the product.

Retailing products online is a new business function for the K-Kleen team. Products were previously offered to their service customers only, and have never been marketed toward a broad consumer base. K-Kleen has begun to focus more on marketing their products in an effort to increase exposure and gain awareness of their top notch cleaning supplies.

With years of hard work and special attention to quality, Pat Kennedy Sr. is ready to capitalize on the opportunity to expand his business. There is a plan in the works to have the K-Kleen name franchised in South Carolina by next winter. This will also bring opportunities to service surrounding states and potentially double their geographical reach.

Starting at the bottom with a commitment to quality, and excellent service, K-Kleen has the perfect recipe to run a successful business while supporting local suppliers, right here in the USA.

L&H Sign Company, proud member of American Made Matters was started in 1992 and only had one full time and one part time employee. 21 years later they have about 46 employees and are leader in quality architectural sign products. They use a vertical process, starting with raw materials and seeing the project through to instillation. Eight different departments have a hand in each project L&H works on. These departments include: Project management, design, fabrication, installation, and more. This wide range of skilled employees allows L&H to create, manufacture and install award winning signage for clients. You can see L&H’s work in sports venues, banks, healthcare facilities, corporate offices, retail stores, and much more.

Patient Care Signs from L&H

During a recent sit-down with Bob McClennan of L&H signs, we were able to learn about one of their newest and most successful projects. The project involves creating new and improved signage for hospitals and other healthcare facilities. L&H’s signs are designed to improve communication between doctors, nurses and patients by using a specialized patient sign located right outside the hospital room door. Unlike typical signs that are only posted to list a room number, L&H’s patient signs have a variety of slide-out options to alert doctors or nurses of a patient’s condition. For example a physician can look at the sign prior to entering the room and know that a patient is prone to seizures or has allergies.

“One of the keys to reducing medical mistakes is improving and standardizing communication. Patients are more likely to score a hospital and its staff highly if the caregivers are knowledgeable about their medical conditions,” said Bob McClennan.

“Doctors need to be able to walk into a room with knowledge of the patient, in order to minimize mistakes and give the patient the best experience possible.”

All of these issues were considered in L&H’s project design process. By using an evidence based design, they worked with doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to develop the new patient care signs. The prototyping of these signs took roughly 12 to 18 months but in the end L&H has unveiled a product that is simple to use and solves many of the communications errors doctors and nurses face each day.

L&H’s patient care signs are in their sixth generation and are now injection mold friendly. Using an injection mold helps cut down manufacturing time from roughly 6 weeks to 2 weeks. Thanks in part to this technology, L&H is able to produce more patient care signs in less time, right here in the United States.

The customization options L&H offers have been a huge selling point for their patient care signs. The signs are currently in 45 hospitals and will be found in over 100 hospitals within the next year

Last week one of our members, the Rodon Group, hosted Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick for a press conference discussing the new bill – The Made in America Act of 2013. The bill will create the American Star Program which will raise consumer awareness of American made products.

“Similar to the Energy Star Program, this voluntary labeling program has several goals. First, the new labeling would provide consumers an easy way to identify American made products. Second, manufacturers would be encouraged to meet certain American manufacturing benchmarks, showing the percentage of the product made in the U.S.A.” (Paula Hynes).

This bill could have a huge impact on our economy and perhaps change the way Americans shop.

We are very proud to have Rodon Group as an American Made Matters member, and congratulate them on hosting Congressmen Mike Fitzpatrick. To read the whole article, click here: